Hermione Granger, Professor of Love?
by TMard
Summary: Hermione's the Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts. She'll get more than she wanted, teaching her daughter and Scorpius Malfoy. She's got a surprise for her students. What is it? Read to find out? Rated T for language and mild adult situations. Ch.7 up!
1. Change of Plans

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K. Rowling for the characters/storyline. **

Author's Note: Okay! This is my first real fanfic. I've only had experience role-playing on a Harry Potter site, and that's different in the sense that I don't really control all the characters. However, here I do, and I apologize in advance if it's not well done. This is the first chapter, and I hope to have more chapters up soon. However, I will be beginning my second semester of college as a freshman on the 11th, so I may not be able to get chapters up quickly. Reviews would be appreciated.

**Rated T for some language and minor adult situations.**

A clanging sound echoed through the hallways of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, jolting Hermione Weasley, new 5th-7th year Muggle Studies professor, from her deep slumber. Though she didn't have any morning classes, she immediately got out of bed to prepare for the day. _"Calm down. Relax and don't be nervous!"_ Hermione told herself, smiling reassuringly at her reflection in the mirror as she headed to the closet to pull on an outfit similar to what she had worn as a Hogwarts student herself, just without the typical Gryffindor patch and tie. Running a brush through her hair, she pulled it back out of her face into an professional-looking bun, which she hoped would add to her professionalism.

By the time she had dressed, it was nearing eight o'clock, and she headed down the familiar path to the Great Hall for breakfast. This time, Hermione was a professor rather than a student. She arrived early enough to see that the hall was filling quickly with students. She took her seat next to Professor McGonagall, who was now headmistress since Professor Dumbledore had died. Smiling brightly, she looked over at her former Transfiguration professor and said, "It feels odd not to be sitting at the Gryffindor table, with you handing out our schedules. I mean, I did that with Harry and Ron for six years, always badgering them about studying and working for classes, and now...."

Minerva smiled at her. "I agree. It makes me feel older now, when I see former students becoming my colleagues. It doesn't seem like you should be sitting here now, despite the fact that you were one of the brightest students that Hogwarts has ever seen. I know that you've become accustomed to calling me 'Professor', but since you're not a student anymore, you may address me as Minerva."

Hermione gave a nervous laugh and flushed. "Well, thanks. But that's a habit that unfortunately is hard to break." She looked out across the House tables, which were now full of students waiting for lessons to begin. At first glance, she didn't see who she was searching for, so she looked a little more closely and could spot the faces of Rose, Hugo, Lily, and James sitting together at the Gryffindor table. A slight tug of pity pulled at her heart as she saw Albus sitting with Scorpius Malfoy. The pity wasn't for Albus as much as for Harry, although both seemed to cope well with the situation. Albus caught her eye and gave her a small smile. Hermione was certain that Harry didn't exactly like the fact that his youngest son had befriended Draco Malfoy's, but he hid his emotions from his son.

Hermione sighed sadly, thinking of Harry, whom she hadn't seen for a few months, but returned Albus's smile. She watched as the students left in droves. Only now did she register the fact that the bell was toiling to signal the first class of the day. Hermione gave Minerva a small smile as she headed to her office while Minerva headed to her first class of the day. _Well, it's three hours from my first class, and I have to be ready! _She arrived at her office, sat down at her desk, and began muttering about changes that she knew would have to be made to keep the students interested in Muggle Studies.

Hermione suddenly decided to make some changes to her plan—not only for today's classes, but for the rest of the year! "My students are going to be completely surprised when they walk into what they think is Muggle Studies, but is actually "How to Catch the Right Person"!" Giggling at the thoughts of her students' faces when they entered her classes, Hermione bent over her parchment and began scribbling out new plans for the year...

Author's Note: I hope this first chapter was okay. Reviews would be appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	2. First Class

**Disclaimer: Once again, all credit goes to J.K. Rowling for the characters/storyline.**

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I don't know yet how long this story will be, but I assure you that Rose and Scorpius will have something happen before the story ends.

"There! Done," Hermione announced, smiling as she looked upon her detailed notes of the lesson plan—and this was just for the first lesson! "If it's going to require this much work every time I plan out a lesson, I've just found something to do in my spare time," she muttered, running her fingers through her hair. Glancing casually at the clock, she was a little shocked to see that she only had half an hour before her class. Grabbing her notes and quill off of the desk, Hermione headed down to her fifth floor classroom, eagerly awaiting her first class of the day.

The bell rang to signal the beginning of the twelve-thirty class. Hermione was standing in front of her desk, waiting to see which year of students she would have this time, knowing that it was a Gryffindor-Slytherin group. A few students walked into the room as soon as the bell rang, having been standing outside the door for a few moments. Hearing the door creak open, Hermione looked up with an eager, welcoming smile on her face to see sixth-year Gryffindors taking seats in the front of the room, whispering amongst themselves. Opening her mouth to speak, Hermione quickly closed it again as more students filed into the room. The late bell rang about five minutes later, and she jabbed her wand at the door to shut it.

"Hello, and welcome to Sixth Year Muggle Studies! I am Professor Weasley, and I will be making a little change. I assume that most of you took Muggle Studies believing that we would be studying about Muggles and how they live without the convenience of magic. However, I am making a change to the class." She paused, allowing a few stragglers to come in. "Five points from Gryffindor, and five points from Slytherin. You should be in class on time," Hermione scolded, giving the latecomers a stern look. She realized that they were Scorpius and Rose, although she didn't draw attention to the fact that she knew them.

"Now, as I was saying, there has been a change to the class. Instead of studying just how Muggles work and get along without magic, we'll also be studying how they interact with each other and how they date. This is a very personal section of Muggle Studies, and it takes a lot of study to fully understand it, so that's what this year is going to be—pure relationship studies." Hermione noticed a few smirks in the classroom and added, "I must warn you that this class isn't only designed to inform you of how Muggles deal with relationships, but also to help you students figure out how to catch the right person for you."

As expected, many students had shocked looks on their faces as she finished speaking. Hermione became uncomfortably aware that she would be teaching Rose these things, and wondered if Rose would use the techniques on Scorpius, or if he would use them on her. Sighing, Hermione stopped focusing on her daughter and waved her wand once, making notes appear on the board. "Copy these notes down and read the first chapter of your book, _"How to Charm Mr./Ms. Right"._ Then do these thirty homework questions. Hand in the homework next class." Waving her wand again, twenty-five rolls of parchment soared out, one to each student, and Hermione took her seat behind the desk, beginning plans for the next class as quills scratched across parchment.

A weird hissing noise reached Hermione's ears as she sat behind the desk, frowning at her notes. The bell rang, and Hermione looked up, seeing Rose in a heated whispered argument with Scorpius, who seemed to be sneering at her. "Miss Weasley, Mr. Malfoy. Come up here, please." Some students began sniggering until Professor Weasley shooed them out of the classroom. Turning her attention back to Rose and Scorpius, Hermione glared at them. "Is there a problem?" When neither of them spoke, she cleared her throat. "Well?" She noticed Scorpius glance sideways at Rose, who finally decided to speak.

"We were arguing about desk space. He was deliberately putting his book over my notes so I couldn't read them." Hermione rolled her eyes, then shook her head. "Well, Mr. Malfoy? Do you have anything to add?" Scorpius shook his head and shrugged. "She told the truth. I was doing that, but she was also shoving the book back onto my notes." Hermione shook her head again and glared at them. "So, really, why are you acting like first years? You are nearly of age and should not be acting in this manner. Ten points from Gryffindor and Slytherin, and each of you have detention tonight at eight, my office. You may leave."

Hermione sighed as the bell rang to signal the beginning of another class. Since she didn't have one, she watched as Scorpius and Rose resumed their argument, Rose giving her mother a nasty look. Returning her glance to her notes, Hermione gave up on settling the argument for now, but told herself that she would keep an eye on them. Maybe, just maybe, there was something going on between them that was better left alone.


	3. Fighting Continues

**Disclaimer: All credit goes to J.K. Rowling for characters and such.**

Author's Note: I am hoping to keep updating weekly as I get ready to go back to my spring semester of college, but I'm not sure, so if there's not an update for a few weeks, don't worry.

Hermione replayed the conversation she'd had with Rose and Scorpius in her mind as she prepared for her next class. She couldn't see the big deal about a book, and would bet her next paycheck that the book wasn't the real problem. Frowning, she waved her wand to clear off the previous notes and replace them with new notes for her seventh years. The bell rang again, and a few seventh years trickled in. Hermione knew that this wouldn't be a large class for not many students were so interested in Muggle Studies that they would consider a career in liaisons with Muggles.

The late bell rang, and Professor Weasley closed the door. "Welcome to Seventh Year Muggle Studies! I'm glad you have decided to take Muggle Studies as a seventh year. I understand that you have had six full years of nothing but learning how Muggles manage without magic, and I'm sure that most, if not all, of you are tired of learning about the same stuff year after year. I take great pleasure in saying that the Muggle Studies class you once knew is gone. This year, we're focusing specifically on relationships—not just with Muggles, but between wizards as well."

She let the message sink in for a moment, and watched as the students exchanged skeptical and somewhat worried looks while muttering amongst themselves. "Now, that's not to say that we're completely ignoring Muggles altogether, we'll just be turning to the interpersonal interactions between them instead of just the basics of their lives without magic. In addition, I'll be teaching you to catch the right person for you!" She stifled a giggle at the students' reaction to her words: Many looked simply shocked, and others were sniggering themselves, apparently looking forward to this class.

"Now, I know that this might not be the class you thought you signed up for, but don't worry. I promise you that you'll get your Muggle Studies out of it. We'll just be studying the relationships that are usually hidden. Now, turn to Chapter 1 in your books and read the chapter while answering the questions on the board," Professor Weasley said, waving her wand to make the scrolls of questions appear on everyone's desk. The bell rang just after she completed her task. "You may leave. Those questions are due at the beginning of the next class."

_"Finally! Now I can figure out what Rose and Scorpius are up to,"_ Hermione said to herself as she gathered up her books and papers to take back to her office. No sooner did she step outside did she find herself face-to-face with Rose and Scorpius arguing again. This time, however, they were screaming at each other as they headed down the hallway. "Miss Weasley! Mr. Malfoy!" Hermione shouted, loud enough to be heard by everyone. "Follow me to my office this instant!" Her daughter was glaring at her, presumably because she expected to be let off easily. However, to her surprise, Scorpius was looking relieved to be in trouble.

Heading down the corridor, Hermione turned the corner to find Professor McGonagall heading towards her. "What on earth is going on here?" Minerva asked, looking from Rose to Scorpius to Hermione. She pointed the three of them into the Great Hall, which was currently empty. "Okay, I want to know what's going on between the two of you and I want to know now!" she said sternly, glaring at Rose and Scorpius.

Hermione sighed. "They were yelling at each other in the corridor, which I'm sure you heard. I was taking them to my office when we ran into you. I also think this would be a good time to mention that they both already have detention with me tonight for arguing during class." She looked at the two sixth years again, and they were shooting daggers at each other, each silently cursing the other. "An explanation is due here," she said quietly, looking mainly at Rose this time. "This is the third time I've heard the two of you arguing today, and I know that this is not over some silly desk space issue. I want the truth."

Minerva nodded and glared at them. "I am most definitely surprised that this is coming from you two, both prefects and exceptional students. I would like an explanation and I want to hear it now, and I don't care who's blaming who in this case. Each of you will get a chance to speak. I would also like to add that you both have a week's worth of detentions with Professor Weasley, all of which will take place this week at 8:00 every night."

Author's Note: Okay, I'm at a loss for why the two are fighting so much. I've been thinking hard over this because I planned to introduce the reason in this chapter, but I can't come up with anything. Send me a message with what you think, or e-mail me at . Reviews would be appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	4. Detention

**Disclaimer: All characters, settings, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling. **

Author's Note: I realize that I didn't give you much time to review and give me ideas, but I'd had a thought before I asked for ideas. Thanks to Zillionz for helping me flesh out the idea.

Professor McGonagall glared at both of them before turning to Rose. "You may go first." She cut off Scorpius's objection with a stern glance. "I want the entire truth. We will not leave until the story has been told. I will warn you both now: If you argue, I will give you another week's worth of detentions. You have been warned," she said menacingly, gesturing to Rose to begin telling her side of the story.

Taking a deep breath, Rose started talking. "He's been following me around non-stop, always doing something to annoy me, whether it be covering up my notes or making fun of how I answer questions or tripping me when I walk. It's getting really annoying, and my temper has been getting the best of me lately. I apologize for my behavior in class, Professor McGonagall. I will try to behave in a manner that is becoming of a prefect." Rose sat down on a bench and waited to see what Scorpius would say, although she knew that she couldn't say anything.

Without waiting for permission, Scorpius immediately began speaking. "What she said is true. I have been doing things to annoy her and to make her mad. I did it mainly to get her in trouble in class, because I know from, er, my father, that the Weasleys have a habit of letting their tempers get away from them." Scorpius stopped speaking after agreeing with Rose's story. There was no way that he was going to let the truth show; word might get back to his father that he, Scorpius Malfoy, liked Rose Weasley! His father would never forgive him. _"She's so cute when she's mad,"_ he said to himself, hiding a smile.

Hermione shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe that Malfoy would stoop so low as to tell his son what he'd done in school to her, Ron, and Harry. Suddenly, she realized that Malfoy wouldn't only be bragging, but he was also trying to turn his son against theirs. Professor Weasley spoke. "If I might, Headmistress," she started, looking over at Minerva. "I understand what is going on here, and I ask that you allow me to alleviate the situation."

Professor McGonagall looked from Hermione to Rose to Scorpius and back again before nodding. "Okay, but if I ever hear another shouting match between the two of you, you will wish that you hadn't ever opened your mouths to speak to each other. Get to class." Minerva watched as the two of them scurried out of the Great Hall, taking care to stay at least five feet away from each other as they left. "Hermione, I don't know what is going on, but I really hope you can figure out some way to reconcile the differences between them."

Professor Weasley smiled wryly. "I think that part of it is that Malfoy told his son what happened between Harry, Ron, himself, and I. The other part of it would be that Scorpius has some sort of feelings towards my daughter, and I don't think she returns those feelings. If she does, she's hiding it. But I will figure this out, I promise you that. I assure you that there won't be any more shouting matches between the two of them." Glancing at her watch, she sighed. "I have to supervise the Muggle Studies club meeting in a few minutes, so I guess I will see you at dinner."

Minerva nodded and smiled. "I really hope you can reconcile them, dear. I'll see you later." She patted Hermione's shoulder in a supportive manner and headed off to her office. Professor Weasley watched the headmistress walk off, and headed back to the Muggle Studies classroom to find a few members of the Muggle Studies club milling around. "Hey, guys. Let me know when everyone's here, I've got a few things that I think you'll find interesting, and maybe I have a few things that will help you in your studies."

Hermione watched as the club gathered in front of her. She hadn't realized how big the club was. "Here's the stuff that I am giving you....it's a lot of Muggle stuff that I think you guys could do a lot with as far as researching and getting accustomed to them if you plan on liaising with Muggles as part of your career. I'm going to go back to my office for the night, so if you guys could finish up quickly..." She smiled and left the classroom for her office. "Good night," she called.

Once in her office, Hermione groaned and flopped down onto her bed without even changing into her pajamas. "I am going to get to the bottom of the trouble with Rose and Scorpius tomorrow. But tonight, they have detention, and they should be here any minute..." No sooner did she finish her sentence did she hear a knock at her door. Standing up and hurriedly straightening her robes, Hermione opened the door and allowed Rose to come in. "Take a seat at the desk." She smiled and patted her daughter's shoulder. Scorpius came in just before she shut the door. "Sit at the desk." Waving her wand, parchment and quills appeared before both of them. "You're going to write a letter to each other, explaining your actions and the feelings or motivation behind them. Get to work."


	5. Hidden Messages

**Disclaimer: All characters/setting belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I really hope you enjoy this one, because I'm getting the feeling that this may be the last one for a couple of weeks. I'm headed into my second full week of my spring semester as a freshman in college, and the only time I'm getting to write is at about 2:30 or 3:00 am. This won't happen too often, but I will try my hardest to keep periodically updating the story.

*This chapter will be in Scorpius's and Rose's point of view.*

~Rose~

I glared at Scorpius from across the desk as I let my true emotions be heard, so to speak, through my letter. I returned my gaze back to my parchment to realize that I hadn't been writing much besides the fact that we appeared to hate each other, but we both really knew we liked each other. I gave him a small smile once I saw that my mother had left the room to get inkwells, which she had forgotten to supply. I wouldn't say anything just now, and Scorpius knew it. I also knew that he was hiding something, and he knew that I knew that he was hiding it. My mother cleared her throat loudly when she saw that we were staring at each other instead of writing. "Get writing. This isn't time to stare at each other. Save that for your free periods."

I was sort of taken aback by the tone in my mother's voice. Even when she was professional with Hugo and I at home, she wasn't like this. _"Maybe she's discovered how we feel about each other." _Even saying this one small statement to myself caused me shock to see that my mother could still seem to have dislike towards the Malfoy family. Then again, that was common when my mother was in school, at least amongst the Gryffindors. But still, she was my mother!

I resumed writing with a somewhat frustrated expression on my face, and I knew that there might be complications, especially with Dad. Even though he played Quidditch and wasn't home much, there was no way that Hugo would keep this from Dad, let alone keep it quiet long enough to keep it from Mom, even for a few hours. Once this got out, we'd be the talk of the school, at least for a month or two. By that time, there would have been something else that we'd done that would take over on the rumors circulating the school.

I sighed, and continued writing. I hadn't really been paying attention to what I had been writing. When I looked at my parchment, I was a little shocked to see that my true feelings, buried deep though they were, were actually there and I could find them—if I looked hard enough. As I read through my letter to Scorpius, I realized that these feelings were ones that I had been suppressing throughout the tumultuous time that I'd been having with him and that they had to be shown before we cracked and ended up attacking each other and getting detention for the rest of the year!

I smiled down at the parchment, embracing the full weight of the emotions towards Scorpius now. Like, admiration, respect, and a hint of annoyance were found when I decided to delve deep into the thoughts. I wondered what he had written about me, and realized that he wouldn't release his feelings as quickly, nor would he be as quick to embrace them and explain to me that he actually felt that way and that he'd been wanting to do something....no. That wouldn't happen, and I would just have to wait until it did, as long as that may take. I rolled up my parchment and handed it to my mother. "May I go now?" She just nodded, so I sped back to the Gryffindor girls' sixth-year dormitory, flopped on my bed, and let my emotions swim around in my head until, frustrated with myself and my reactions, I cried myself to sleep.

~Scorpius~

I was a little upset that we had detention the entire week, and I didn't know if we'd have to write these letters every night, although I assumed we wouldn't—the feelings would be the same, the motives the same, everything about each other would remain the same. I glanced up to see Rose glaring at me, although it quickly turned into a smile when Professor Weasley left the room to get inkwells. I smiled back at her, but let it slide off my face when I saw the professor re-enter the room.

I sighed again. I felt bewildered when I heard Professor Weasley speak to Rose with such an angry demeanor. I assumed she was just exerting her authority as a professor. _"Then again, I don't know how she is at home. Maybe this is how she is when she's at home, away from school. But she hasn't been here too long...."_ I let my thoughts trail off but let my true emotions spill onto the parchment as if I were shouting them to the world. Smiling as I reread my words, I rolled up my parchment, noting that it was a lot shorter than Rose's, although it took me a lot longer to write.

Rose was smirking at me from across the desk, probably because it had taken me so long to write a short letter. _"But she should realize that, as a guy, I am not easily accustomed to expressing my emotions as quickly as girls, nor will I explain them to her as quickly as she would give them up to me."_ I smirked back and watched as she left. I stood up, handed Professor Weasley my scroll, and asked, "May I go now?" She sighed and shook her head. "No, Mr. Malfoy, I want to talk to you."

I gulped, automatically fearing the worst. I never knew what to expect from the Weasleys or the Potters—at least not the adults. I'd only had experience with the children, not the professors and/or parents. They were a totally different game, and I had no strategy to deal with it. Professor Weasley smiled. "Don't look so scared—I just want to ask you a question." Taking a deep breath, she appeared to be steering herself towards doing something. When she spoke, her voice took me by surprise—it was calm, gentle, and not harsh.

"Scorpius, I realize that Draco—I mean, your father—has probably told you most of what transpired between him, Harry, Ron, and I when we were in school. I am glad to notice that this enmity between the Malfoy/Potter/Weasley clan has ended, particularly since the end of the war. You wouldn't remember that, but that was the turning point for Hogwarts—enemies became friends, the Houses interacted more often and were more friendly to each other, and most of the inter-House fighting has ended. I just want to tell you that no matter how you feel about my daughter, don't be surprised if she's...stubborn....with the way she reacts."

She paused, choosing her words carefully. "Rose is a bit stubborn, like me, and—also like me—she doesn't easily yield to her feelings. Don't be hurt if she turns you away at first. Persevere. You will eventually succeed, although the results might not be what you expect," Professor Weasley chuckled. "I did tell her what happened between your father and Harry, Ron, and I when we were at school, and she may be a little...belligerent...as far as Ron and I—her parents—are concerned. After all, children usually defend their parents in a situation such as one that occurred between the Malfoys and the Potters/Weasleys. She may not yield to her feelings simply because she may feel as if she is betraying us. If Rose was to confide this feeling in you, please tell her that she would not betray us, but do not tell her I told you. Unless, of course, she asks directly. I wouldn't want you to lie to her."

Professor Weasley smiled at me and waved me off. "Get on to bed. It wouldn't do you well to oversleep and miss class tomorrow. You would have too many detentions to deal with, especially since you and Rose have Transfiguration tomorrow with Professor McGonagall, whom, I am afraid to say, is fed up with the fighting and bickering between you two, although it's mainly the shouting that bothers her. Please, Scorpius, keep trying. I would almost bet my next paycheck that she feels the same way about you that you feel about her, whether that be love or hate. I don't want you to give up because you feel that it would cause problems between your father and me. It will not." With a departing smile, I fled Professor Weasley's office and went up to the Slytherin boys' sixth-year dormitory and laid down on my bed, thinking about the conversation I'd had with Rose's mother. It would make things even more difficult with Rose, but I would not give up. I would persevere.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed it! Review, please!


	6. Feelings Revealed

**Disclaimer: All characters/settings belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Author's Note: Wow, I'm sorry. It's been nearly a month since I've updated. I'm sorry, but college caught up with me and I had to get to homework. But I'll try to post at least twice a month. Just not this month.

*At this point, the story reverts back to 3rd person point-of-view.*

The sun woke Rose the next morning, earlier than she would have liked. Smiling, she got out of bed, showered, and dressed quickly. It didn't take her long to get down to her mother's office. Knocking on the door, she wondered idly if she would be waking her mother up, but decided that this would be important enough to get her attention. After all, if she was going to tell her mother that she would behave in class and actually had feelings for Scorpius...but would her reaction work well?

Rose shifted her weight from one foot to another nervously, waiting for her mother to open the door. Hermione opened the door with a yawn and looked slightly surprised to see her daughter standing there. "What's wrong, Rose? Come on in, I only just got up..." Smiling, Hermione poured them both cups of tea and sat down on her bed. "So what's up? You usually aren't up this early when you don't have class."

Rose sighed and nodded, twisting her hair around with one hand while holding her mug with the other. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you. It's about what's been going on in class lately with Scorpius." She thought she saw a smirk on her mother's face, but she forced that thought away and plunged on, "We've…well, _I've_ been flirting with him. I don't know if he's been flirting with me or not, but I just assumed that's what it was. I mean, look at you and Dad—you both argued a lot when you were in school and liked each other, so...."

Hermione set her mug down on the bedside table and sighed. "You know, somehow I wondered if that's what it was, but it just seemed to be so much more than that. Even so, you'll still have to do detentions, even though I'm sure you'll enjoy them. As a matter of fact...." Hermione paused and pulled out Scorpius's letter that he had written in their detention. "I've already given him yours, as I told you your punishments would be, so here's what he wrote."

Rose took the scroll wordlessly from her mother's hand and skimmed it quickly, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks as she smiled. "Well, er, I guess this letter says it all. If that's true, then I guess he knows how I feel too. But what do _you_ think about it, Mum? I mean, I know how it was between you, Dad, Harry, and Scorpius's father when you guys were in school, so how do you feel about it?"

Hermione laughed. "That's just the way things were between us, honey. We never liked each other. Besides, your father and I can't stop how you feel about him, nor can we change it. It's your choice in the end, and I will support you the whole way. Your father, on the other hand..." Rolling her eyes, Hermione sighed again and shrugged. "Well, you know how stubborn your father is, and you know how he feels towards the Malfoy family. It'll take a little longer now, but I'll send him an owl while we're at school so he can get used to the idea."

Rose smiled and sighed with relief. "Well, I'm glad to hear you say that....I just hope Dad doesn't send me a Howler." She thought on how her mother would phrase this precarious position that she and Scorpius were in, and knew that her mother would be able to explain it to her father in a way that would keep him from doing that, not to mention that her mother knew that Ron had gotten a Howler during his time at school and knew what it felt like.

Hermione scowled. "He won't do that. He got one from his mother in our second year, and I'm sure he wouldn't want you to go through the same thing." She stood up, finished off her cup of tea, and replaced the mug in a cabinet. "Rose, honey, don't worry about it. Just go find Scorpius and explain your feelings...just don't expect him to do the same thing so quickly. Then again, since he seems to be nothing like his father, I don't really know what to expect from him," she admitted.

Rose laughed. "Well, thanks for the help, Mum. But I think I can manage this....after all, I am a lot like you. And we both know how well that works out in life," she said, smiling as her mother hugged her. "I'm going to go down to breakfast and wait for Scorpius. I'll see you later." Rose left the room with a smile on her face and a new-found confidence for what she was planning to do later that very same day.

Hermione sighed. "Ron's not going to be happy about this," she muttered, sitting down at her desk to scribble a quick letter to Ron about their situation. After sending the letter off, Hermione remained behind her desk to grade essays. There were nearly one hundred to grade, so Hermione figured she'd better get started. Picking up a quill, she began reading through the essays and pointing out their mistakes to help them improve.


	7. Troubled Times

**Disclaimer: All characters/settings and such belong to J.K Rowling.**

Author's Note: I am really, really sorry. College has basically taken over my life, but after this week, I'll be out nearly four months for summer, and I'll try to keep up with updating this story. I am truly sorry for leaving you guys hanging with that last chapter.

Rose sat nervously at the Gryffindor table, watching the doors of the Great Hall so she could catch Scorpius before he went and sat down. Twisting her hands and bouncing nervously in her seat, Rose knew she looked a little weird to the other early risers. She wanted to eat, but her stomach was too queasy to keep food down. She grabbed a few of pieces of toast off of the table and wrapped them in a napkin as Scorpius came into the hall.

Rose thought he looked a little nervous when she approached him, but she'd spent a good part of the night pondering the situation instead of doing homework. "Scorpius, can we talk? It's important," she said, ignoring the glares of the Slytherins that had filed into the Great Hall behind him. "I've got toast," she offered, showing him the stack as she walked out the door, hoping he would follow.

Scorpius hesitated briefly, but she had food, and she thought it was important, so he would listen. "Okay, let's go out to the lake," he replied, smiling at her and leading the way out to the lake. It was still relatively early, so not many students were outside, and they had a lot of privacy. "So, what's this important thing you need to tell me?" He vaguely thought about the conversation that he had with Professor Weasley, wondering if Rose had heard about that somehow.

Rose took a deep breath and handed him the stack of toast to free her hands. Twisting them in front of her, she looked him right in the eyes and said, "Well, it's about our letters. I went to talk to my mother this morning about some important stuff, and she gave me yours to read. I assume she gave you mine?" Waiting until he had nodded, Rose gave him a smile. "I really didn't know you liked me like that. And, since you've read my letter, you know that I feel the same way about you, and my mother said that I should let you know." She paused to interpret his reaction.

Scorpius was taken aback by the conversation. He definitely didn't think that this is what they'd be talking about, but he was happy and pleasantly surprised nonetheless. "Well, um...." As soon as he thought the words, blood rushed to his face and he looked right back at her, despite the blush. "Well, I do....I do like you. A lot. More than just in a friendly way." Glancing at the ground for a moment to collect his thoughts, he was surprised to hear a thump. Looking up, he saw that Rose had dropped her books.

Scorpius picked them up with one hand, concerned with the look on her face. "Are you okay?" He half-held the book out to her, then thought better of it and tucked it under his arm with his books. "Sit down." He tossed the books aside and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the ground gently with him. No sooner did she reach the ground did she start crying, and yanked her hand out of his own. "Rose, what did I do?"

Rose glared at him. "I can't believe you! Why would you toy with my emotions like that? Do you have any idea of how long it took me to get the courage to tell you that?" Her voice had risen substantially, and the few students that were outside were curiously looking over to see what was going on. She grabbed her books off of the ground, gave him one last glare, and ran off into the castle, leaving Scorpius bewildered behind her.

Scorpius stood up, completely in shock after Rose's reaction. "What did I do?" he asked himself. He didn't have a class this morning, and had planned on going to the library, but he stood up, got his stuff, and walked straight to Professor Weasley's office, only to find Rose crying in a chair in front of her mother's desk. Hermione grabbed Rose's arm as she made to run out of the office.

"Rose! What is going on?" Hermione reluctantly let her daughter's arm go as Rose ran into the bathroom and locked the door. Throwing her hands up in exasperation, she turned to Scorpius and smiled weakly. "Take a seat there." She waited until Scorpius had seated himself before asking, "Dare I ask you what you did?"

Scorpius frowned; Professor Weasley sounded accusing and angry. Seeing the look on his face, Hermione laughed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound like I'm blaming you, but what did you do? She's never been like this with anyone....even with that one guy who treated her like dirt." Sighing, Hermione rolled her eyes and waited for Scorpius to speak.

"Well, she told me that she liked me and that she read my letter. I already knew how she felt since I read her letter, and she waited for me to say something, so I told her the truth about how I felt instead of hiding it from her. She dropped her books, and she looked like she was going to pass out or something, so I made her sit down. As soon as she sat down, she burst into tears and yelled at me about toying with her emotions or something." Scorpius sighed and wondered what he had done wrong.

After she ran into the bathroom, Rose grabbed a wad of toilet paper and mopped her eyes and face. She listened intently to Scorpius's version of what had happened and realized that what he was saying was true, but she just didn't know how to react. "Maybe yelling at him was the wrong thing," she whispered, listening to her mother's response.

Professor Weasley sighed and pushed her half-ungraded essays to the side. Looking up at Scorpius, she smiled. "I believe that she wanted you to take your time revealing your feelings, Mr. Malfoy." She held up a finger to forestall his question, and continued. "She acted irrationally, and if you ever plan on having a girlfriend, let me give you one big piece of advice: Girls will never, ever react the way you want them to. Most of them, in fact, will act the opposite of what you want or what you expect just to see how you handle it. I think that's what she did."

Rose slid to the floor, leaning against the door, in utter shock with what her mother just told Scorpius. "That's not true! I didn't do that....did I?" she questioned herself, still wondering why she had yelled. However, when she replayed the explanation her mother gave in her head, she groaned quietly and let her head rest on her knees. "I can't believe I did that."

Scorpius shrugged. "Well, I don't know what to do." He sighed and stood up. "Thanks for talking to me, but I've got to get to the library and work." He started for the door slowly, wondering if Rose had stopped crying yet. From what he could tell, she was quiet, and was listening at the door to hear what was going on, but he left anyway.

Rose quietly opened the door and faced her mother with red, puffy eyes. Hermione smiled and gave Rose a hug. "Honey, you overreacted, you know." Rose couldn't respond, so she just nodded. "You need to apologize to him. He's really upset, and he doesn't know why you reacted that way. And he really does like you, otherwise he wouldn't have talked to me about it. You guys need to fix this." She smiled down at Rose and let her go. "Now, since you've missed class, take this note to Professor McGonagall and let her know why you missed. Don't worry, I told her you were sick," she said, chuckling at the horror-struck look on her daughter's face.

Rose smiled. "Thanks for everything, Mom." She took the note, grabbed her books, and walked down the hallway to Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration classroom. Knocking on the door, she pushed the door open and walked nervously up to the desk, hoping that McGonagall would accept the note as truth and give her the homework assignment.

"Ah, Miss Weasley. I see you decided to show up to class....an hour late," she said, giving Rose a stern look. Professor McGonagall took the note that Rose handed her and read it. "So, I assume that your mother helped you out with a potion." Rose nodded, and McGonagall smiled. "That doesn't surprise me, your mother was a good hand at Potions and classes in general. Well, if you are feeling well again, here is the homework that is due next class. I'm sure one of your classmates will lend you the notes."

Rose nodded again and smiled. "Thank you, Professor." She slipped the piece of parchment into her Transfiguration book and walked out of the classroom just as the other class was starting to file in. She glanced at her watch and noticed that this was her free period, and she knew that Scorpius had two free periods in the morning, so she went to find him. "Hopefully he'll accept my apology..."


End file.
